How to Maximise a Conservatory's Performance

Effective Environmental Control Offers Enjoyable Conservatory Ownership

We understand that you expect optimum performance from you conservatories. You expect a room for all seasons, an enjoyable and comfortable addition to their home. The management of the conservatory environment – temperature, airflow and condensation - is crucial to the all year round enjoyment of the conservatory.

The provision of effective ventilation is only one element in managing the conservatory environment and in this article, we will examine all the elements to take a balanced look at what steps installers should take to make the ownership experience truly enjoyable. We want you to get a home improvement solution you are glad you chose.

Ultraframe has always made a virtue of its ventilation systems in its conservatory roof and is the only manufacturer to provide ventilation on all its roofing systems as standard. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy leading quality from the ground up, with a conservatory design that has been manufactured to deliver unrivalled standards across the board.

The Marketing Manager at Ultraframe and Chairman of the Conservatory Association Commented:

“It is essential that installers are familiar with the site conditions, specify methods for obtaining airflow through the conservatory and offer the homeowner the best advice on environmental control measures. At Ultraframe we offer installers a greater competitive advantage because all our roofing systems have a range of effective ventilation solutions built in as standard to ensure premium comfort for the homeowner.”

“As well as roof vents and windows, consider secondary ventilation. Ideally ventilation should be provided in the ridge and in the eaves beam to encourage air movement and minimise heat build up in the summer months. Natural cross flow ventilation is created by the prudent use of eaves vents ,which when combined with ridge units to utilise convection currents (which can be enhanced by the use of fans), provides the optimum internal environment"

Maximising Conservatory Performance: Ventilation

Provision of conservatory ventilation falls into two categories – primary and secondary ventilation. Primary ventilation includes the opening of top light windows, roof vents. The provision of roof vents is a particularly effective method of ventilation with one roof vent providing the equivalent ventilation of four windows.

For its Classic system roof system, Ultraframe offers a choice of either uPVC or a new uPVC frame/aluminium sash combi vent ensuring that installers can choose the most effective product for each particular site/design. This allows us to offer a degree of versatility that ensures we will find you the perfect fit for your home

Securing a Comfortable Conservatory

So, as we have seen, the correct specification of ventilation in a conservatory is a real winner, particularly for homeowners looking to bring a comfortable new addition to their home. We understand that you want the best from your home improvement solutions, and that an overheating conservatory can prove to be highly detrimental when it comes to achieving the new addition to your home that you envisioned.  

Another thing to consider is solar heat energy. In colder climates, winter months or in north facing elevations, it can prove to be beneficial to a conservatory. In this situation the conservatory acts as a `buffer` between the house and the outside – on older Victorian properties with no cavities in the masonry, this buffering effect can be positive and substantial. In the summer months, unmanaged solar heat energy creates a thermal load that the glazed structure generally cannot accommodate.

It’s far better and more cost effective to screen out unwanted solar energy at the design stage and thankfully this is now even easier thanks to high performance sealed units and polycarbonate glazing materials. At Ultraframe, we developed Conservaglass for our Classic roof system, which comprises a design with quite wonderful solar control properties for high performance in summer and with incredibly low `U` values for efficient winter heat retention.

Other `tricks of the trade’ that can be deployed alongside effective ventilation and the correct selection of glazing material to control the conservatory environment include using under floor heating which is unobtrusive and cost effective to run and choosing subtle paint tints to the walls, such as cool blues in south facing conservatories and warm terracottas in north facing ones. An Ultraframe specialists will be on hand to help you find the perfect addition to your home.

Find Your Nearest Conservatory Installer

To ensure the highest standards of ventilation, appearance, performance and longevity, we invest heavily into the research and development of our conservatory and conservatory roof systems. This means that you’ll be able to enhance your home with a design that simply offers you more across the board.

Finding your nearest Approved Ultra Installer allows you to benefit from vetted, assessed and tested standards of professionalism and reliability. We strive to ensure all of our products are handled exactly as they should be, ensuring you always get the perfect fit for your property. All of our specialists are well versed in delivering exceptional quality to a wide range of home styles and sizes.